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American Wolves Interview with Nikki Zell and Rob Lundy

Running with the pack... had a chance to speak with American Wolves Nikki Zell and Rob Lundy just after their first stop on tour.

w/Song River

A mystical creature one
feared and revered both by old and young alike. Folklore of old
pronounces a level of unity, courage, loyalty, strength and success.
Tales have been told among the many nations and historical patterns
through the ages and here they are, a pack, hungry, growling, and
ready to bring your heart and soul into American Wolves rock n roll!

American Wolves have
certainly been crossing the boundaries of rock and pop as they leave
their scent trail along the way. Fans are growing daily, and the
numbers continue to escalate. Calling Philadelphia, Pa home their
sound is fresh, their lyrics true, the band stands for a variety of
colours collectively that run tight. They are a reverent bunch and as
their pack grows in legions it seems to spur on this magical force
that draws you into their sound and bites down hard so you don't ever
want to let go.

They are young, they've
come a long ways and still have room to develop and feel their way
among the worlds of rock n roll. Not accepting boundaries is probably
the largest ordeal of truth for freedom to be what and who you are is
American and the loyalty of a pack is the wolf... together these band
of mates Rod Pires, Nikki Zell, Rob Lundy, and Tyler Blinn are
American Wolves.

Song River: We use the
internet for everything nowadays. We can buy our clothes, books,
music, order our food, heck even stream our film favorites... and
'shop' for our band mates. Tell me how does one go about
shopping band mates?

Rob - It was quite
an extensive process between myself, Rod and our manager. We
discovered Tyler through his YouTube covers, specifically his
rendition of Eminem's "Rap God" (which recently broke 1
million views). As for Nikki, our manager found her through Facebook
after seeing pictures of her performing solo at a music festival.

SR: Any advice both sides
can offer to musicians looking for others and for musicians putting
themselves out there to be connected?

Nikki - From
personal experience, social media plays a huge part for connecting
with other musicians. If it weren't for social media, I wouldn't be
in American Wolves. Networking in person is also super important. I'm
lucky enough to live in Philly which has a huge local and national
thriving music scene. Playing lots of shows, supporting other artists
by going to their shows, collaborating and songwriting with other
artists, going to industry events, and much more is extremely vital
to get connected with others.

Rob - When you find
the right people, you just know. It felt like four puzzle pieces
coming together when I met and jammed with Nikki & Tyler for the
first time.

SR: All of you hail from
a variety of different locations- where is home for each of you,
where you grew up mostly?

Rob - Our singer Rod
was born in São Paulo, Brazil and moved to Rhode Island with his
mother & three brothers when he was 12. I met him when we were
both 18 at a party and now we both live together in Providence, RI
(where I'm from) and float back and forth in between there and Philly
when necessary.

Nikki - I was born
and raised in a small town outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Tyler grew up in Phoenix, Arizona and has recently relocated to the
east coast so that the band can be together more often. He floats
back and forth between RI and Philly.

SR: Tell me how did your
homelife/upbringing lead you to choose your desire to play in a band?

Nikki - I grew up in
a musical family - my dad, aunts, and extended family playing in
bands together and whatnot - so I never knew any different. My entire
family has always been so supportive of me pursuing a career in
music. My parents are both diligent, hard-working people who
instilled the values of working hard and obtaining your dreams from a
young age.

Rob - My dad always
took me to concerts at a young age - the first one ever was New Found
Glory and Goldfinger playing an outdoor show in Providence probably
sometime around 2001. I think those experiences shaped my young mind
and left a lasting impression on me. That same year I ended up
getting my first guitar for Christmas and the rest is history.

SR: Home base for the
band is Philly? If so, why did you chose Philadelphia to be home base
for you as the rock band and do you all actually live there
permanently now?

Nikki - Philly is
becoming one of the best music scene cities in the country. Most of
us were living on the east coast when the band formed and I've lived
here all of my life so it made sense to make Philadelphia our band
base for now. We float back and forth between Providence, RI, and
Philly.

SR: How have you found
stationing yourself in Philly to be advantageous?

Nikki - I'm very
hooked into the local scene so the band has many fellow music
friends, connections, etc. in this area. In terms of location, it's a
great place to be positioned on the east coast. We're close to NYC
which we frequent for press. We're also close to major cities for
shows and touring opportunities.

SR: In the opening vocals
of your first single/video release "Part of Me" I couldn't
help but hear at the beginning a touch of Enrique Iglesias come from
Rod's voice.

Rob - (laughed) I
haven't heard that one before! We certainly draw influence from all
genres of music whether it be rock, pop, hip-hop and much more.

SR: However, as the song
quickly progressed the sound of AW all of the sudden took in all of
the personalities of the band as a whole. You've really created
quite a diverse line-up.

Rob and Nikki -
Thank you! That has always and will continue to be our intention.

SR: Climbing out and
standing true seems to be the buzz in the rock industry now...
climbing out of the saccharin masses.

Nikki - First off, I
determine the word/term "saccharin" to mean fake or
synthetic. However, I don't think it's possible to judge the
authenticity of an artist or their music in such a black and white
way. There's more to an artist or band than their genre - which is
why we as a band try our best to be open minded and pursue growth
wherever possible.

SR: Compare saccharin to
raw sugar. (metaphorically)

Nikki - They're both
sugar. They both taste sweet. The only difference is some people
prefer one to the other.

SR: Your EP is
spinning... which song in particular as a band do you all love
performing live off your album?

Rob - It's different
for everyone, but our unreleased song "Out Of Our Minds" is
a favorite among all of us.

SR: This question is for
Nikki.

Nikki how do you put up
with a bunch of guys all the time? LOL! Seriously, you know the girls
in your audiences are going to be very curious as to what it is like
traveling, practicing, performing with a bunch of guys. What is your
relationship like with the guys in the band?

Nikki - Growing up,
I tended to gravitate towards being one of the boys because I always
understood and related to guys more than girls. So being in a band
with dudes is fairly natural and easy for me. In general and on tour,
I'm basically band mom since I'm the only female figure. Thick skin,
a strong stomach, and an open mind is necessary. Rod, Rob, and
Tyler are true gentlemen toward me. They always have my back. It's
like having three older brothers. I believe a band can be more
powerful when you add a woman into the mix - both male and female
genders working side by side together as equals is a beautiful thing.

SR: Finally what is it you see down the road?

Nikki - Our goal was
to release our first single and follow that up with a sick tour -
which ended up being Highway to HellYeah Tour with Escape the Fate
and Get Scared. As far as the future, we have many upcoming plans
which you will just have to wait to see.

Your BANGS! All Time Favorites

Stryper
Brings Metal Stings with Their 30th Anniversary Album Celebration Tour: To
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Song River

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30th-anniversary celebration should bring and then some! The strength
and heart as the yellow and black brought the hard rock attack back
to Arizona, as the Nile Theatre was packed with die hard fans that
came from some sort of faith background so it seemed and included a
wide age group range.

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really was the premiere heavy metal Christian rock band that came
onto the scene back in the 80's and pioneered the way and without a
doubt still brings the best of it all today. Still working with the
original lineup of vocalist Michael Sweet, drummer Robert Sweet,
bassist Timothy Gaines and guitarist Oz Fox hitting the
30th-anniversary release, 1986's album, To Hell With the Devil.
The album spoke to so many when it was released and today those fans
who fell in love with To Hell With the De…

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laundry. You got to be the first one up if you want to get it done. Song River: Laundry
day has to be a good day! When you are on the road and away from home
what are some of the things you miss? Michael Sweet: Of
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